Container Kitchen Garden
September 25, 2008

I have been growing herbs and greens everywhere I lived over the last 10 years (San Francisco, Washington DC, Haiti, Tunisia and Liberia) and I found that it is lot easier than you might think to grow items you use every day. Even withouth a yard, a container garden is a great way to grow greens - even in the middle of the rainy season.

Of course not everything grows. I tried to grow cilantro several times here in Liberia but I failed every time. Surprisingly, I successfully grow rosemary even though it normally thrives in dry places (Liberia receives six meters of rain each year!). Another thing that I am growing right now (and can't wait to taste) are stick broccoli and rainbow Swiss chard.
Of course, sometimes you just can't get or grow what you need for a favorite recipe.  That is when you may need to consider appropriate substitutes.  I keep a list of ones that work for me.  Don't give up!

One of my favorite things to do while I am in Liberia is visiting the local farms to see what/how they grow here in Liberia. I am also doing a small project with my gardener to find out what kind of vegetables can be grown here. Finally we are in the dry season and it is time to go outside and work with the dirt.